尖刀 (jiān dāo) — sharp knife; dagger; (military) spearhead force; vanguard

Definition

Literally 'sharp knife,' 尖刀 names a dagger. In military writing it is also used as a metaphor for a 'spearhead' unit that leads an attack.

noun
sharp knifedagger(military) spearhead forcevanguard
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 尖刀，。
    Tā shǒu lǐ wò zhe yì bǎ jiān dāo, shén qíng jǐn zhāng.
    He was holding a dagger in his hand, looking tense.
  • 尖刀，。
    Zhè ge lián duì bèi xuǎn wéi jìn gōng de jiān dāo, shuài xiān fā qǐ chōng jī.
    This company was selected as the spearhead of the attack and charged first.
  • 尖刀。
    Tā xiàng yì bǎ jiān dāo zhí chā dí rén de xīn zàng.
    He plunged like a dagger straight into the heart of the enemy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

尖jiānsharp
刀dāoknife

“尖” describes a sharp edge, and “刀” is a blade, giving a sharp knife or dagger.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

尖 puts 小 (small) above 大 (large), showing the width of an object gradually changing from small to large.

Open 尖 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 刀 comes from a simple picture of a knife.

Open 刀 →

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